In Brief

I had a quick dip in here to look for something, and thought I'd make a brief post to say that it's all as usual while I'm here. 

Bear has Covid. Poor kid is really poorly with it, but better to have it now than when he is away at university. He's been huddled down with throat sweets and painkillers and generally suffering. DH and I have also been affected but not nearly as badly as we have had vaccines in the past and bear, being young and healthy, hasn't. 

By the way, if you drink most of a bottle of water, crumple up the bottle, add some soluble painkiller and put the lid back on, the gas escaping from the tablets as they dissolve will expand and push the bottle back into its original shape - with sound effects. The men have been suffering but they are still curious about the world and love gimmicky tricks. 

And I managed to scrape my elbow falling downstairs. This is an improvement on past falls as I have a shocking track record of dislocations and torn ligaments, but this time I found it kind of funny. I was carrying an armful of flimsy carrier bags to return to the Morrison delivery driver (10p back for each one) and they flew up and sort of drifted down like dingy, ragged snowflakes. Poor bear came rushing and then just sighed as he saw that I was not only unhurt but surrounded by chaos. 

Here are two of the replacement chilli plants.

And a recent score

But the battle of the bugs continues. They have sticky traps, they have been sprayed with fancy soapy stuff and they have been left out when it finally rained. Efforts ineffectively continue.

I have been entertaining myself by watching the extremely stout woodpigeons swaying and flapping wildly as they perch on thin elder branches as they try and feast on the berries. I'm sure that they're using more calories than they're getting, but they look like ruffled, old fashioned, elderly bank managers that have slipped on a wet floor and are losing their dignity. However undignified, the woodpigeons obviously think that the elderberries are worth it.

I've also been watching those 'build a cabin in the woods' type videos on YouTube as in theory they couldn't possibly tempt me to try something new and shop for another hobby. I am thousands of miles away from the wilds of Canada and the jungles of Vietnam and I cannot be trusted with something so technical as a saw or a hammer. All I need to do is watch. I have some doubts about the constructions, though. After a few sessions, I feel that Alaska must be almost knee deep in hastily built log cabins, all with immaculately black stoves and a lack of bathroom facilities. There is also no disclosure about where the builders are sleeping in between long days of chainsaw wielding and I find myself wondering if some of them are actually in a luxury motorhome, just a little off camera.

I've been watching the videos while knitting this.

I'm knitting the jacket, and while it's an easy knit, it's not an easy knit. I'm a larger lady with an over ample bosom, and the body is knitting in one piece until it splits for the arm holes. I have over 220 stitches in chunky and the piece is currently around 18 inches or 45cm long. It's heavy, bulky and evil to manoeuvre and I had to get an extra long circular needle to manage the number of stitches. I'm looking forward to wearing it. I'm not looking forward to the last few rows on the body when I'll be holding a lot of weight on just a few stitches. Still, there's not too much making up to do and that is a bonus for me. 

We have a leaking pipe and the most likely source is behind a pile of junk so I'll be sorting that out tomorrow. What with one thing and another, we haven't really been paying attention and now we have damp patches on three floors. 

Another thing that I spotted on YouTube is that you can make soapy water from ivy. I am currently refusing to try it on the ivy running rampant in a corner of the garden, and I'm fairly safe from a random attempt at bushcraft in my garden because I think that it's the wrong sort of ivy. I know a few easily accessible stands of suitable ivy, though, and if I give in and try something, I'll share.

I'm doing a little better in myself, and I'll probably be back in a few weeks. 

Hugs and good health to all. 

Pity Parties are Boring

Bear got his A level results today. For those not in the UK, these are nationwide, standardised tests typically sat by those who are 18 or nearly there. It's the final exam of secondary school and the marks are used to determine whether the student is accepted into a particular university or not. Those wishing to go to university will have already applied and been told which grades they need to achieve to be admitted. Some courses at some universities don't require high grades and some demand excellence. Bear got A* in Maths and A in Further Maths, Physics and Computer Science and is going to his university of choice. He is disappointed that he didn't get all A*. I'm incredibly proud of him. 

I'm trying not to overshare about bear. He's a legal adult now and I don't want to make him uncomfortable because of my posts. No doubt I'll share about his university later, but he's going to an excellent university with a really good reputation for the sciences. I've been hoarding Tesco Clubcard vouchers which I've used to outfit him with basic kitchen gear and bedding, which he has graciously approved, and I think that he'll do fine. Bear has voiced concerns that when he leaves, there won't be a responsible adult in the house. I can't really argue with that, but it's only for 70 days for the first term and I'm sure all of us will survive. 

I finally got my car back. The airbags were replaced and she's good to go. The car is now fine and seems to be feeling particularly feisty. Her natural driving preference is 90mph on the motorway in August. My natural driving preference is 30mph on a side road in February. I'm sticking to familiar roads at the moment until I get a little more into the swing. So far I've accidentally run a red at a road works - sort of, as I went past the light but stopped at the crossing until it changed before turing, then nearly clipped an ongoing car when swerving to avoid a bunny, well, not very nearly but it was within 500 yards and then I fishtailed all over the road when I swerved to avoid an owl sitting on the road. Bear is still asking for lifts so he can't be too traumatised, but I'm watching the speedo like a hawk because my normal driving is taking me a lot faster than I'm used to. I'm shooting out of the traffic lights like a whippet and I'm surprised that I haven't got a speeding ticket. Given my normal caution, if I get a speeding ticket then I'm going to frame it. 

I've finished a scarf.

And started another one for brother/his partner. 

And I have some extremely poor pics of the  replacement chilli plants. 

I'm hopeful that we'll get a harvest quite soon and be able to keep pickling. I'm obsessively watching them for pests but so far, they're clear.

Perhaps it's just as well that I've failed in the garden. We are in the middle of a drought and there's a hosepipe ban. I could go out and water the garden with a watering can, and the garden isn't that large, but perhaps it's just as well that there's nothing to see so nothing to suffer. I managed to kill all the herbs with neglect.

You know how I say that I'm going to do something and then almost immediately do the opposite? I could post, for example, that I'm going to concentrate on my knitting and the next day I will be doing almost anything else. So take this with a bucket of salt, but I mean it as I write it. My mental health is pretty poor at the moment, and I'm struggling with practically anything. I'm feeling worried and stressed about not posting on here and then worrying even more that I don't know what to post and feeling that I ought to be posting something interesting and the oughts in all aspects of my life are crushing me, so I plan to take a step back from this blog for at least a month. As I said a few sentances ago, that's barely worth the pixels that spell it out, but in theory I'll step away, take this tiny bit of pressure off, and come back and post triumphs, should they happen. 

There were two reasons I came here to post today. One is to boast about bear's results. The other is to remind everyone that I think that the people blogging in our community are amazing, wonderful, brilliant people who have done so much to help me over the years and that I'm profoundly grateful. I may currently be erratic but that doesn't mean that I don't value everyone who's been kind enough to stop by and everyone who's blogs have enriched, inspired and improved my life. 

Hugs and good health to all.